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Colors in Farsi: 30+ Persian Color Words with Pronunciation and Examples
Color vocabulary is one of the first things every Farsi learner and heritage parent wants — because it is one of the most natural ways to speak Persian with children at home. This guide covers every color in Farsi with Persian script, accurate pronunciation, shades, grammar rules, and the cultural meanings that make Persian colors unique.
Persian has a rich vocabulary for color — many terms rooted in nature, gemstones, and the vivid palette of Iranian art and architecture. Some Persian colors have given their names to English (Persian blue, Persian green, Persian red). Others have no single English equivalent. Learning color words in Farsi opens up not just vocabulary but a visual language that has been shaping art, poetry, and architecture for over two thousand years.
The 12 Essential Colors in Farsi
These are the twelve colors every Farsi learner needs to know first — the colors of everyday conversation, from describing clothing to commenting on the world around you.
All Persian Color Words — Complete Vocabulary Table
| Colour | Farsi | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| قرمزqermez | Red | ||
| سرخsorkh | Red (literary/poetic) | ||
| آبیābi | Blue | ||
| سرمهایsormeh-yi | Navy blue / Dark blue | ||
| آبی آسمانیābi-ye āsemāni | Sky blue (lit. "sky-blue") | ||
| سبزsabz | Green | ||
| زردzard | Yellow | ||
| نارنجیnāranji | Orange | ||
| بنفشbanafsh | Purple / Violet | ||
| صورتیsurati | Pink | ||
| قهوهایqahveyi | Brown | ||
| خاکستریkhākeshtari | Grey | ||
| توسیtusi | Grey (colloquial alternative) | ||
| سفیدsefid | White | ||
| مشکیmeshki | Black (everyday) | ||
| سیاهsiāh | Black (literary/poetic) | ||
| طلاییtalāyi | Gold / Golden | ||
| نقرهایnoqreyi | Silver | ||
| کرمkerem | Cream / Beige | ||
| فیروزهایfiruzeyi | Turquoise (from فیروزه = turquoise gem) | ||
| خردلیkhardali | Mustard yellow (from خردل = mustard) | ||
| زرشکیzereshki | Burgundy / Dark red (from زرشک = barberry) | ||
| هلوییholui | Peach (from هلو = peach fruit) | ||
| زیتونیzeytuni | Olive (from زیتون = olive) | ||
| یاسیyāsi | Lilac / Light purple (from یاس = jasmine) |
Use these colours in real conversation
Vocabulary sticks fastest when you practise it with a native speaker. Danaa School's Farsi tutors bring vocabulary to life through real conversation — including for children at home.
Find a Farsi TutorHow to Use Color Words in Farsi — Grammar You Need to Know
Persian grammar handles colors differently from English in one key way: adjectives come after the noun, not before it. This is connected to the ezāfe construction — the linking sound "-e" or "-ye" that joins nouns and adjectives in Persian.
Colors come after the noun in Farsi
In English, you say "blue shirt" (adjective first). In Farsi, the color comes after the noun, connected by the ezāfe:
The ezāfe "-e" is written in spoken Persian but usually not shown in written text — native speakers know where it goes from context. In children's books and learning materials, it is often marked.
How to say "light" and "dark" in Farsi
To describe shades, add روشن (roshan — light/bright) or تیره (tireh — dark) after the colour:
How to ask "what colour is this?"
Colors in Farsi — Everyday Example Sentences
These are the natural sentences you will use when talking about colors — describing clothing, objects, preferences, and the world around you.
🗣 Practice sentences — colors in context
Shades and Compound Colors in Farsi
Many Persian color names come directly from nature — fruit, flowers, gemstones, and food. This table shows how Persian builds compound color names and why so many colors have beautifully descriptive origins.
| Farsi | Romanized | English | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| فیروزهایfiruzeyi | Turquoise | From فیروزه (firuze) = turquoise gemstone | |
| زرشکیzereshki | Burgundy / Deep red | From زرشک (zereshk) = barberry — the small sour red berry used in Persian rice | |
| هلوییholui | Peach | From هلو (holu) = peach fruit | |
| یاسیyāsi | Lilac | From یاس (yās) = jasmine flower | |
| زیتونیzeytuni | Olive green | From زیتون (zeytun) = olive | |
| خردلیkhardali | Mustard yellow | From خردل (khardal) = mustard seed | |
| گیلاسیgilāsi | Cherry red | From گیلاس (gilās) = cherry | |
| شکلاتیshokolāti | Chocolate brown | From شکلات (shokolāt) = chocolate | |
| آبی آسمانیābi-ye āsemāni | Sky blue | From آسمان (āsemān) = sky | |
| سبز نفتیsabz-e nafti | Teal / Petrol green | From نفت (naft) = petrol/oil | |
| سرمهایsormeh-yi | Navy blue / Indigo | From سرمه (sorma) = kohl eyeliner | |
| بادامیbādāmi | Almond / Off-white | From بادام (bādām) = almond |
The Cultural Meaning of Colors in Persian Culture
سبز (sabz) — Green: The most symbolically significant color in Persian culture. Green represents nature, paradise (بهشت — behesht), spring, and renewal. Nowruz (Persian New Year) is filled with green — wheat and lentil sprouts grow on the هفتسین (haft-sin) table as a symbol of life returning. In Islamic tradition, green is the color of the Prophet and of paradise. In Persian poetry, a green world is a living, abundant world.
سفید (sefid) — White: White in Iranian culture signifies purity and is worn in certain mourning ceremonies — particularly the seventh and fortieth day after a death. It is not exclusively a mourning color, but it carries dual weight: both celebration and grief depending on context.
قرمز (qermez) — Red: Red appears throughout Persian celebrations — Nowruz, weddings, and festive clothing. Red apples and red fish are traditional on the هفتسین table. But red (سرخ — sorkh) in classical poetry often signals danger, passion, and the color of blood in battle poetry.
فیروزهای (firuzeyi) — Turquoise: The quintessential Persian color. Turquoise tiles cover the domes of Iranian mosques and palaces — the color of Isfahan's Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, the Imam Mosque, and thousands of shrines. The word itself gave English the word "turquoise" (via French, from Persian). This is the color most internationally associated with Persian art and architecture.
طلایی (talāyi) — Gold: Gold runs through Persian decorative arts, illuminated manuscripts, and poetry. The golden dome of shrines, gilded calligraphy, and the golden threads of Persian carpets all carry connotations of divine beauty and sacred space.
Teaching Colors in Farsi to Children
For heritage families, colors are one of the most natural ways to bring Farsi into everyday life with children. Every object around the house can become a language lesson:
👦 Simple color questions for children
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say blue in Farsi?
Blue in Farsi is آبی (ābi). The word comes from آب (āb = water) — literally "water-coloured." For specific shades: navy blue is سرمهای (sormeh-yi), sky blue is آبی آسمانی (ābi-ye āsemāni), and turquoise is فیروزهای (firuzeyi).
How do you say red in Farsi?
The most common word for red is قرمز (qermez), used in everyday speech. سرخ (sorkh) is a more literary and poetic form of red — you find it in classical poetry, compound words, and names. Both are correct; qermez is more common in modern conversation.
How do you say green in Farsi?
Green is سبز (sabz). One important note: سبزی (sabzi) does not mean "greenish" — it means herbs or vegetables. Sabz is the only common Persian color that does not follow the standard -i suffix rule to form a related noun. Green carries deep cultural significance in Persian culture — representing nature, paradise, and Nowruz.
How do you say black in Farsi?
There are two words: مشکی (meshki) is the everyday, colloquial word for black. سیاه (siāh) is the literary and classical form — used in poetry, compound expressions, and formal writing. Both are widely understood. In everyday speech, meshki is more common.
Do colors come before or after nouns in Farsi?
After — the opposite of English. In Farsi, adjectives follow nouns: "ماشین آبی" (māshin-e ābi) = blue car, literally "car-of blue." The connection between noun and adjective uses the ezāfe — a short "-e" sound (or "-ye" after vowels). This ezāfe is spoken but often not written in standard Persian text.
What is the most important color in Persian culture?
Turquoise — فیروزهای (firuzeyi) — is the color most internationally associated with Persian civilization. The luminous blue-green of mosque domes, tilework, and ceramics is instantly recognizable as Persian. The English word "turquoise" itself comes from Persian via French. Within Iran, green (سبز — sabz) carries the deepest symbolic weight — representing nature, paradise, spring, and life.
Put your Farsi vocabulary into practice
Knowing vocabulary is the first step. Using it in real conversation — with the right pronunciation, context, and confidence — is what a native tutor teaches. Danaa School connects you with native Farsi tutors for 1-on-1 online lessons.
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